"Thumbs Up If You're Listening in 2012!" And Other Cringe-Worthy Comments

I can no longer read Youtube comments. In fact, I’ve given up on reading comments on every site I visit, most notably, K-pop websites. My head gets dizzy from the fanwars, from the strange and passionate praises for an idol’s new T-shirt, and the aggressive requests to “Thumbs up if you love EXO-K better than EXO-M!”

But these are only the tips of the icebergs. As a way to justify why I’ve given up on comments, I’d like to share with you the Top 5 Comments That Are Making Me Quit Reading Comments.

1. “Come on guys! We have to get this video to 10 million views by midnight tonight!”

Whenever I see comments like these, I always ask the question, “Why?” What happens after the video hits 10 million views? Do I get a prize? Is it like one of those Cracker Jack boxes where there’s a plastic ring hidden inside once I’ve eaten all the popcorn? Will I get a personal “thank you” phone call from Junsu if this 2PM video reaches the 10 million mark? No seriously, what do I get?

Once you’ve spent a solid three days refreshing the Youtube page and neglecting every other aspect of your life so your bias’ new MV can reach an otherwise unattainable goal, it should feel rewarding. But instead, all you’re left with is that awkward reality that you just spent three days trying to reach millions of views. You sit at your computer, waiting for something to happen to validate this accomplishment, then just shrug it off and go chase cute IU baby photo tags on tumblr. Reaching 10 million views on Youtube means zero. Just ask Lady Gaga, whose “Bad Romance” music video has close to half a billion views: Youtube views are more a reflection of popularity, not a movement spearheaded by fans to create the illusion of popularity.

The only thing worse than campaigning for Youtube views is galvanizing the people to vote:

“We must vote for Super Junior in this poll!”

Sorry, but that’s not a revolution I can get behind. It’s more important for me to finish this English homework than to abuse my mouse pad all evening so that Eunhyuk can win the “Idol we’d most like to see doing the electric slide” award.

2. “Netizens are so stupid!”

There’s nothing better than netizens complaining about how stupid netizens are. I’d like to offer a gentle reminder that we’re all netizens. Yes me too. And more importantly, you. Yes, you my friend. Netizens do this awkward thing where they think “netizens” refers to the creature that steals our socks from the dryer. The thing that you never see during the daylight but comes out at night to torture us with dumb comments.

For the average K-pop fan, having to admit that you’re a netizen is like admitting to your wizard friends that you’re a Muggle: it’s embarrassing. No one likes to be associated with the folks that make comments like “Wow, Sohee unnie’s skin is sooo perfect, just like her voice,” and “Amber is a just like a unicorn!” But once we start to understand and accept the fact that we’re all netizens, one nation under the Internet, we can stop getting so angry with them, and be cautious about the comments we make. Perhaps we can even consciously refrain from adding to the problems of fanwars and overall stupidity.

3. “That’s not what oppa meant!”

I’ll bet my bottom dollar and my last turkey sandwich that it is what oppa meant. This phrase cuts my heart deeper than the infamous “It’s not oppa’s fault!” and the ol’ reliable “Oppa is only human!” These phrases are used to free biases everywhere from sin, guilt, and controversy. Like when C.A.P. from Teen Top made that strange comment about spoiling his future son and locking his future daughter in the house. Or when Block Bran their mouths off a wee bit too much about Thailand during the country’s moment of disaster. But “That’s not what oppa meant” is the worst because it leaves an idol’s comments up to interpretation. If oppa didn’t mean what he said, then what did he mean? You could start an entire fanfiction series the way some commentors come up with stories about what their bias really, actually, in fact meant.

“He’s under so much stress,” is another cringe-worthy comment used to free biases from controversy. But stress isn’t like one of those “get out of jail free” cards you get while playing Monopoly. If stress was such a good excuse, I would have been able to get away with a lot of things in my life! When it comes to defending oppas and unnies, some commentors become paralegals, producing Youtube evidence, recalling past incidences of their bias’ good deeds, and appealing to the jury’s sympathy. Sometimes I wonder if I’m reading comments on a K-pop blog or if I’m watching Law and Order.

And who can forget the often used, “I don’t know why everyone is making a big deal out of this. It’s not that serious.” K-pop commenters simply adore making big deals out of things. Until it comes to their bias. Then, what seemed so serious ain’t that serious.

4. “I’m a SONE, and even I think this SNSD video is crap!”

There’s nothing a commentor loves to do more than declare what fandom they’re from and then proceed to tear down their artist. It’s as if they think if people know that they’re a true fan, then their opinion on their bias’ terrible video or song is that much more legitimate. And others get the privilege of saying, “See, even a SONE says this song is lame!”

But it’s not like I’m ever going to watch a 2NE1 music video one day and then say, “Hey everyone gather ‘round! This Blackjack is getting ready to give her opinion on this new 2NE1 video because only a true Blackjack can make a decision on it’s quality!” Thank you, Blackjack, for confirming that this video is actually terrible. Now that you’ve spoken, I can rest easy.

You shouldn’t have to blatantly state that you’re a fan of a particular group or artist in order to validate your claim that the artist’s song or MV is bad. But in K-pop land, it’s necessary because K-pop fans have this bad habit of vehemently asserting that everything their bias does is the most amazing thing ever. So the objective, reasonable fans feel the need to declare their fandom before giving a bad review of their bias’ work, which gives their opinion more legitimacy. If fans were able to comment objectively, there would be no need for this.

5. “<3 TOP <3 TOP <3 TOP <3 TOP <3 TOP <3 TOP”

Let me guess…you love T.O.P.? Because it was hard to tell after the tenth page of spam. These comments are the most cringe-worthy because they are essentially comments with no commentary. Imagine trying to talk to somebody face to face whose only input was “<3 Mir<3 Mir <3 Mir.” Do you think you could be friends with that person? Do you think you would reward that person by responding with normal conversation?

So then why is it that a lot of these comments end up being the most popular and most thumbed-up comments on K-pop music videos? Only K-pop can turn spam into the most popular insights on Youtube!

And those are the Top 5 Comments That Are Making Me Quit Reading Comments! What about you? Are there any common comments that grind your gears? Have you ever come across the ones above?

I enjoyed this article, but we are complete opposite’s whereas you shun the comments, i like to scroll down and read what the kpop netizens have been saying, usually gives me an ego boost :P

cutiepie88

When Yoochun father passed away & fans were writing how they wish they could be there to comfort him (huh?) & I’m thinking his family & friends aren’t enough. Also when fans compare their Kpop star to other artists like how one girl told me GD was better than Eminem O_o WTH? I just told her to stop messaging me b/c I really didn’t want to start fighting online. Kpop fans smh.

Awww…I think the comforting Yoochun thing, while creepy, is at least well-intentioned. And, since it’s not often idols lose family members, it’s not something that annoys as often as the other stuff. The k-pop/west thing is, however, FRICKIN’ annoying. What’s worse is when a k-pop idol covers a western song and fans flood the original artists video just to comment on how much more they like the k-idols version. It’s not too bad if the singer is well-known enough, but it borders on rude when the original artist isn’t a big star. Take the original singer of “Genie.” The majority of comments on the video are SONEs going on about how much they like SNSD’s version better).

cutiepie88

Okay the Yoochun thing I see your point with that example. Now can you explain how some his fans went to his dad grave sight to give their respects? O_o XD!

And your second comment about the k-pop/west thing I totally agree. Look I would be more impress if it was an original song but its a remake. Is that kinda IDK sad? Considering to me that Genie (besides INTW) are the only songs that IMO are the best songs SNSD hasn’t topped yet. Beside their Japanese album yeah………..Japanese album. Anyway agree with your points! :-)

What pissed me off the most just recently was randomly checking out DBSK’s “Mirotic” MV in the SMTOWN Youtube channel. Some comment there had so many likes because it was “GRR SM! HOW DARE YOU DELETE THE OTHER MIROTIC WITH 10 MILLION VIEWS! DIE DIE DIE!” The commenter didn’t even think that the one with the 10+ mil views was in the sment channel and was still up and running, and didn’t even think that SM just reuploaded everything in the new SMTOWN account. I can’t with those fans. It makes me facepalm at my fellow Cassies.

Streby

“I am a _______ (insert fanclub) but I support ______ (insert any idol group)’s comeback!”
Those are so pissing off.

JammySmoochie

I don’t see nothing bad about that actually. lol

But yeah, I get your point. Sometimes, those comments come off as a lie.

Streby

There is nothing bad per say about it but its really annoying. I mean how can you not like more than one thing, its like you’re doing the artist a favour by liking their song even though you are already ‘taken’ by another artist.

JammySmoochie

Annoying, sure. But I like this comment better than those comments that often ignite fanwars. lol

There are some people who’d put comments about totally irrelevant things. Like 3 pages of a heated debate about Japanese War Crimes under a Big Bang MV, or a thorough comparison between Lady Gaga and G-Dragon under a 2NE1 video, and some other things like that.

These are all instances that bother me. I gave up reading any comments a long time ago. My biggest pet peeve is the “I’m a sone/blackjack/VIP/ etc. but even I have to admit this is bad”. It takes away from your opinion. You mentioned it in this post, you do not need to declare your status as a fan to state your opinion.

HOWEVER, there are a few writers on this site that are very guilty of this. I cringe every time I see it. It takes away from the purpose of the author’s article when they spend so much time declaring they are a fan and they are wearing a t-shirt, socks, etc. while typing the article. It bothers me even more to read it in an otherwise well-written argument than a relatively silly comment of a video.

Aurora2687

LOL, your second paragraph! I too have seen this on some Seoulbeats op-ed as a justification of the authors opinion. The opposite rings to as well e.g. I’m not a fan of or I don’t like ……. but I think their amazing!

sleptopia

Whilst I agree that a lot of the comments are completely ridiculous, I find it hard to complain. For a lot of people (myself included) K-pop is a form of escapism, i watch it all to forget about the real world. However much I like to pretend otherwise K-pop is essentially trash, the best trash in the world that I can’t live without, but still trash. So if people get home from a hard day of school and refreshing opaarr’s video makes them happier and forget how crappy life often is then so be it.

I mean my football/soccer team, that I go and watch every home game is closing in on their first title in decades and I go mental as well, but only because i know it doesn’t mean anything really.

All of these comments annoy me to death and to be honest I think this also has the potential to hurt groups chances of making it in the west.

When you see an article from a music website talking about Kpop. In the comments below it isn’t very likely that you’ll see someone say “Oh I think I might take a look at this group now, they seem pretty good.” Its usually flooded with “OPPA IS THE BEST” “OMG 2NE1 <3 <3 <3 <3" "KPOP IS SO MUCH BETTER THAN AMERICAN CRAP KPOP FTW" because they heard about the article from Allkpop or something and feel the need to express how awesome their bias is with absolutely no relevance to what the article was talking about beside the fact that Big Bang or SNSD was mentioned in it.
This can be such an off putting thing to someone who is new to kpop. Why would you want to get into a genre of music where all the fans seem like immature 12 year olds that cant form a sentence properly or without adding a thousand hearts or emoticons. It makes me so frustrated when these comments seem to represent us in a totally false way because I know we aren't all like that.

Similarly when I got into Kpop I tended to not bother with SHINee because the crazy fans kinda put me off. Thankfully I realised that they're actually pretty good after I got passed that but I don't see it happening with the western audience as a whole when Kpop tries to break into the west.

beautyWITHbrain

I felt like vomiting read comments like this and embarrassing me as hardcore kpop fans.

Omg I love you for this article. Now I know I’m not the only one that feels this way lol

JammySmoochie

My favorite article from Seoulbeats yet!!! Kudos to the writer who came up with this idea.

The number 5 is the one I hate the most (from your list). It’s like… seriously, is that how you show your love for your bias? lol.

But the comments that I really really really hate to read are, although not yet that common to Kpop is:

“If you have a minute, you can change my life forever. Please go to my channel, subscribe, and check out my covers. You could fulfill my dream of becoming a star. I have been dreaming about this forever. Thumbs up so everyone can see.”

and…

“5 thumbs up and I will sing this song to her. 10 thumbs up and I will tell her I love her. 20 thumbs up and I will ask her to marry me.”

Facepalm.

Khaddie

I complelty agree! But I’ve always wondered if those plea comments are fake or something because most of the ones Inhave read always start with one form of “You probably won’t care..” or something. They all sound like they have been copied and pasted. I might check one of them out to see. :P

JammySmoochie

I actually check some. Some are good. And some are… atrociously atrocious. Just no. lol

happy_slip

But youtube comments as ridiculous as these are not only limited to Kpop. Most of the comments there are stupid or absurd regardless of the topic/genre. You just ignore those things.

All these comments are so true. LOL… You also forgot those stupid “true fan” comments. “If you were a true *insert fandom here*, you wouldn’t *insert whatever you did here*” Like seriously? Who can call me or whoever else a true fan or not? Being a true fan doesn’t necessarily mean I have to worship the members like gods when I clearly see flaws in them.

OMG you took the words out my mouth! I just wanna slap them and say whether you’re a true fan or not your bias isn’t gonna show up at your house or mine!

intheshort

I was watching Secret’s Madonna the other day and I saw a comment about how fat the girls’ legs were. Comments like these (“__________ is soooooo ugly!”) bother me because I don’t believe the fact that you think someone is ugly is going to change anything. I mean, people are entitled to their own ideas but you broadcasting that you think someone is unappealing is not going to change other people’s opinions about an idol, especially if those people are fans.

Personally, I try to limit my comments to things that are non-spam.

And for the record, I don’t think Secret’s legs are fat. I think all four of them are stunning.

GracefulCassieShapley

I have always found it ironic when neitizens call other neitizens stupid.
“Oh gawd, stupid neitizens!!!!” (Um, hello? Aren’t you a neitizen too?)

However, the one I hate the most is #5. I am sick and tired of finding videos and articles spammed with something like Taeyeon <3 Taeyeon <3 Taeyeon <3 Taeyeon. Even worse is when they copy and paste the same comment and you find an army of the idol name and hearts. I get that you love so and so, but geez, does it have to be that global?

Also, I absolutely hate it when Kpop fans act all superior about kpop and calling american pop trash, yet they are the same ones who get excited when their idol is praised or spotted in the american industry. First of all, get off your high horse; kpop really isn't that much better then american pop. Sure american pop can get pretty tiresome too, but the way kpop fans act and with the amount of actual good groups in kpop….we really shouldn't be talking.

Second of all I hate it when websites post up 'articles' such as "So-so takes a cute selca!" or "So-so reveals their perfect S-line!" and then you get hoards of fans commenting and boasting on how perfect their bias is. Its like they will use anything to prove to others that their bias is clearly superior one (*rolls eyes*.) Also articles about selcas and what not should not even articles; its just fanservice.

MAR_M3anie

LOL…I didn’t read your comment before i posted mine but yeah the whole I hate American pop but love when and American artist praises a group.

itsmysunshine

The last one annoys me to no end. To be honest, for me it doesn’t show anything other than your mad copy-paste skill.

Black_Plague

I find all 5 types of those comments an utter nuisance whenever I’m watching vids in Youtube. Though it doesn’t hurt to laugh at the sight of fans and ‘haters’ argue with one another. No. 1, 3 and 5 in particular sometimes make me want to just close the Internet and play a couple of horribly biased league matches in Starcraft 2. It’s like they have nothing better to say.

Though you’ve also forgot to add a No.6 – the ‘true fan’ comments. Some delusional fuckfaces think that being a true fan means I have to treat/worship ALL the members of the group I like as perfect angels or some shit or buy all of their albums etc .Hell, not even the damn Greek gods in Mount Olympus were perfect considering they quarreled and had proxy conflicts with one another all the time so I don’t see how Kpop idols are any better.

And a No.7 – the ones that overexaggerate their favorite idols’ talents, status and impact in Kpop. I’ve seen VIPs claim that GD has ‘world class flow’, is a ‘genius’ and an ‘expert rapper’, some even claiming Big Bang ‘changed’ Kpop and made their own genre etc. the list goes on. These kind of comments in particular make me facepalm – all the time. Another case example – SONEs moaning about ‘Power of 9 Forever!’ or ‘TaeTiSeo doesn’t compare with the Power of 9!!’. I could go on forever about this.

Entire sentences in caps lock are also quite annoying at times, as if they’re screaming at the top of their lungs – it ain’t some sports arena.

Lol if your annoyed with these comments you should check the comments under G-dragon singing Chris Brown’s “Run it”, everyone is commenting saying that GD is way more talented than Chris Brown and even go as far as bringing up Chris Brown being a women beater. I mean Chris was in the wrong of course for beating Rihanna but his character has nothing to do with his dancing and singing skills, which are better than GD’s. GD does not have the best voice and his dancing is good but not as good as Chris Brown. GD is my ultimate bias and I seriously could not take those comments seriously at all.

I’ve seen the same comments concerning Taemin and CL, and interview asked him who he looked up too and he said Usher, and all the comments were talking about how Taemin was a better dancer than Usher. Another comment said the CL was the Lauren Hill of Korea. Um…if anyone is the Lauren Hill of Korea I’d give it to Yoon Mi Rae/Tasha. Lauren Hill’s rapping and singing skills is almost unbeatable and she’s also a lyrical genius, she could rap better than most of the men in the 90’s, you can’t even compare the too.

Seriously, how delusional can you get…I like all these people and think they are talented but you would have to be delusional to think GD and Taemin could out sing and dance better than Chris Brown and Usher, or to think CL was on the same level as Lauren Hill…sorry but no.

illerz

So true. It would be like comparing britney spears vocal ability to christina aguilera’s. Both famous but one a true vocal talent.

black_rose45000

“Taemin was a better dancer than Usher. Another comment said the CL was the Lauren Hill of Korea”
oh no they didn’t. seriously?? tsk

idontknoe

“one nation under the Internet”
I laughed so much at this. Should we start a netizen pledge?

em21di

Lol oh gosh, I’m so guilty of some of these comments and liking them.

whirlypop

#4 –> Because only then can you actually not sound like such a basher to immature fans who can’t take any negative comment about their precious idols.

#5 –> Annoying to no end. Agreed.

theonetwo

yeah, i gotta agree with your explanation of number 4. if you dont identify yourself as a fan then the rabid fans will pounce on you thinking you just stabbed their favorite idol in the stomach when you really just gave them your opinion.

black_rose45000

Actually I witnessed an ELF getting bashed in a ridiculously horrible way for not even saying smth harsh about the MV, just that it could’ve been better or it was similar to another, can’t remember.

whirlypop

The problem with kpop fans. Once you don’t approve or say something slightly in contrast to whatever they’re thinking, you’re already an anti.

Soysauce11

Just gonna say that you get super brownie points for the netizens/wizard/muggle analogy :D

And yes, I have encountered these comments on various kpop websites, and they are a huge nuisance.

Going off “oppa didn’t mean it,” I think my all-time hated comment is “oppa/unnie is only human.” Really? Cause I thought they were cybernetic androids. And I fail to see how it’s a defense. Forgetting a dance step is a human error. Having your voice crack is a human error. Saying your going to spoil your son while locking up your daughter is just assholey.

theonetwo

lol i like the last part. i remember that. it was a shake your head moment.

GracefulCassieShapley

Forgetting a dance step is a human error. Having your voice crack is a human error. Saying your going to spoil your son while locking up your daughter is just assholey.
Too true, my good friend! :D

Lmao, I agree. To me if someone is human than they should be criticized just like other humans would be. If C.A.P said that and he wasn’t a celebrity his ass-hole human self would still get called out for it. Humans make mistakes and humans have to face the consequences of those mistakes, including celebrities.

Theorist

Another kind: The butthurt comments. LOL

theonetwo

omg dont bring that up. i see that everywhere whether it has to do with kpop or not lol

JammySmoochie

That “I’ve commented first yay” comment is like the lamest comment ever. So what if you’re the first to comment? Does that make you a hero or something? Like come on now, is there a competition? lol

Theorist

and I’ll go ” Do you want a cookie for that? ” hahah

dodo18

ha ha i must agree with you , but anway who read comment on you tube ? i must admit i used to judge people who make those kind of comments but i must admit that last year i found myself being guilty in the whole oppa didn’t mean it during daesung accident . but the thing is when an artist is going through a bad time , antis are bashing him , people who are not fan of him are also judging him so if fans don’t stand beside him and have faith in him who would do so? as long i dislike those kind of comment last year i was happy to see all vips being so biased and staying behind bigbang. but as much is good to stand beside your artist , it’s not not good being delusional and try to justify every mistake your artist make . you can aknowledge your bias mistake but also keep supporting him.

Mika_San123

I completely understand the feeling of needing to defend your artists. Who else will be there to help them up when everyone’s bashing them for their mistake? But I also can’t stand it when fans refuse to admit that their idol has done anything wrong.

dodo18

of course that is why i said you can aknowledge your favorite artist mistake and keep supporting him

One of my pet peeves… shipping. Can’t an idol glance towards the direction of another idol without being remotely interested? Also, appearing in the same frame does not justify two idols being ship-(p)able. Neither does it prove that they have feelings for each other. Love in real life does not depend on cameramen and editors.

ISayyy

I completely agree. I don’t mind friendly ships but when other fans just go overboard and magnify each and every action that the people involved in the ship does, it gets pretty annoying. Especially when it comes to bromance ships.

JammySmoochie

Shipping.

Sigh.

Facepalm.

Mintmint

“Love in real life does not depend on cameramen and editors.”

Ugh THANK YOU. That totally needed to be said. Seriously, what do these people expect idols to do? Go around with blindfolds?

Some of the fan MVs of ships or photoshopped pictures of a pairing just makes me want to punch the computer screen… Once I saw a photo with TOP and Bom with her holding a baby. WHAT THE HELL IS THIS SHIT?!

black_rose45000

Rofl! Recently I saw a KyuMin pic with SJ’s Sungmin and Kyu’s face plastered on one of Sungmin’s “dirty dancers” (ya know, from his sexy~~ solo). Horrific. I may be just biased towards the girl cause I kind of really like her, but I find it also insulting towards her, apart of being retarded.
I…don’t know what goes on in these people’s heads…………

black_rose45000

“Love in real life does not depend on cameramen and editors”
Gosh, why don’t most think people like you :(

goldengluvsk2

lololol the netizens’ one! thats why I always clarify: K-NETIZENS, J-NETIZENS… they get on my nerves lol jk well, when i arrived to kpopland i thought i was going to relax watching my fav vids and stuff but THEN i had the brilliant idea of reading the comment’s box T__T it annoyed me for like 3 days but then i didnt care about it…

Ditu3ka

LOL, funny article. True as well. I agree completely. I also don´t read comments because they are never about the MV or the clip but that comment section below is usually just full of those ridiculous comments like “TOP <3 TOP <3 TOP". I also hate when first two omments are going like this: 1) First from the North Pole :-)) 2) I wasn´t quick enough, *wave* from SiberiaWhat is that?

About the 1.) first from north pole – it was a cute little joke that got out of hand, i think people were interested in where in the world other commenters were but then it just became annoying -_-.
And i also hate when people hate on ESL (engligh second language) posts, I mean when the person says something they like its “Oh you’re english is perfect!!! don’t worry i understand you :) :) ;)” but then flip the script when they dont agree. Those same people could not write more than three lines in another language….

nonod

The worst comment ever: “I’m a VIP (or other fandom) but I like the new MV of MBLAQ (or other group)” can’t people just say “i like this MV” why they need to say what fandom they belong to?

What have been annoying me lately is how some fans write a long comment saying each detail of the dance of each member of x band, every detail of their clothes of their performance, saying how everything was perfect! They always do this in the next articles too, saying ”today they are wearing xx” ”xxx smiled at xx” and all these annoying crap, WTF? We have eyes we can see this, no need for this.

Oh another annoying stuff is when the fans brags the numbers their bias are at. They keep uploading it…….. you know because numbers are all what matters nowadays and viewers comments plus likes on Youtube.

Mika_San123

You know, I think the commentors who state their fandom before criticizing the video aren’t doing so to legitimize their critique, but rather, to prevent the other fans from attacking them. If the commentor says something insulting (and by insulting, I mean to include constructive criticism, because kpop fans tend to be easily offended) without stating their fandom, the other commentors will jump on them and attack them for being a “hater” (on a side note, “haters gonna hate” is another irritating comment that definitely deserves to be on this list – I mean, talk about redundancy!), or an “anti”, or they’ll say something like, “oh, it’s not like you can sing/dance better than they can!” However, if the commentor does include that fandom part, he/she is less likely to be attacked, because no one’s really going to say “OH YOU MUST BE AN ANTI ANYWAY!”

Also, of the comments that fans use to excuse idols from misbehavior, the one I hate the most has to be: “Oh come on! Lots of people smoke and drink when they’re underage. Lots of people get high on marijuana! Just look at the American celebrities!” Instead of focusing on the fact that it’s illegal, that it’s harmful, these fans focus on the fact that this type of misbehavior isn’t uncommon. Just because “everyone else does it” doesn’t mean it’s acceptable, it doesn’t mean that this misbehavior can be condoned.

I agree with what you say. Usually if someone says “i’m a sone/elf/shawol etc” before something else, it’s more a case of self defence so that people won’t say “omg you’re such a hater” or “you don’t even know anything about the group”. Just so people know that you still support the group but you’re not blind enough not to have a less than positive opinion. I myself have been guilty of the “i’m a — but..” a few times.

Blah2341

Comments like “Don listen to oppasaranghae336 shes just a stupid anti whos jealous of Yoonas perfection etc.” annoy me to no end.
Comments with the word ‘flawless’ also make me cringe.

The ones that irritate me the most, right after the <3_BIAS NAME_(copy+paste) is the _(company name)_ IN _(country)_!! And repeat.

MAR_M3anie

The people who commented basically covered the annoying comments…But can we throw SWAG into the mix. It got old when American Artist were doing it, but my goodness…

Also the comments that have a love/hate relationship with Western Artists especially from America. The “I don’t like American music because of blah, blah,blah” Then name a couple artist that’s just in pop music, no other genre.

But then the same commentator’s turn around when they see a popular American singer/producer/actor mention a kpop group, then you have “OMG! So and so is a fan of ________, Kpop is truly international and the group is popular in America. Kpop is taking over the world!”

Or “I can’t wait till so and so drops the English album.” Well I’m thinking to myself then it wouldn’t be kpop but Pop music that you hate so much.

agree with all the comments listed so far, but lately shipping comments are getting on my nerve. i love shipping as much as the next fangirl but when fans bring it in to every. tiny. thing. it starts to annoy me
“eunhyuk looked at donghae at 1.53!! he’s obviously in love with him! eunhae forever! <3 <3 <3"
or, you know, he could've just looked that way by accident -.-

JammySmoochie

THIS!

illerz

HAHA I love this whole article. I was beginning to think I was the only one who felt these things. THANK GOD.

black_rose45000

I once watched a video where Hyuk was kind of really close, almost hugging some girl and a lot of ppl were like OMG WHAT WILL DONGHAE SAY/DO??? and this is just one pairing-example. orz. The thing is Ide really read comments for the sake of it, but sometimes when the title of the show isn’t mentioned in the description, I check the comments before asking myself. All the shipping turns annoying when you have to witness too many idiotic comem

you don’t have to say you’re a fan of one group to show support for another group. People that write stuffs like this make me feel like they’re trying to make their fandom look good by going “OMFG I might not be a fan of xx but I still support them! LOOK HOW NICE OUR FANDOM IS!!”

Hahahha its true.. in reality we’re all netizens, so when we say ‘netizens are like so dumb’ does that mean we’re including ourselves in the statement? Most probably yes, hahaha the irony. I agree with the “<3 *insert name <3 insert name* <3….." ok you love the person, that cool but it can be very vexing when the person post comments many many times with that. Call me primitive but when some one misunderstands your critique and starts swearing. Seriously if the comment offends you either comment with a structured civil argument or just ignore it. Truth be told, I'm actually a sensitive person so I just refrain from commenting or looking at comments, that way I can enjoy the article/video/music.
Interesting article btw.

KaoruSan

Seriously, Onew and chicken pairing are not funny. It’s overrated and annoying as hell.

once upon a time, i actually leaf through comments at allkpop and youtube.
then, i saw comments of the nature as listed in this article.

to be insulting, i feel that these comments are kinda annoying. sometimes, people actually repeatedly post in the same comments again and again (i.e. tara diadems, please like the xyz video so that they can…. )

*face palms*

hence, i tend not to read most comments on allkpop or youtube…

not sure how old these commentors are…. but lets hope they are not in their 20s or 30s…

I think I could stomach almost all of these ridiculous comments since they’re not just limited to the Kpop spectrum as a whole (except maybe for number one, who gives a rat’s ass about constantly trying to update for views on said idol’s youtube video when I have other beneficial things to do, like sleeping), but the comments that I just couldn’t stand is when a person who gives a non-biased view of a certain group/song and you get replies like these:

1) “You’re just jealous cause XX is prettier/have a life/talented while you’re ugly/unaccomplished/blablahblah,”

2) “Haters gonna hate, XX fighting!”

3) “Oh yeah, let’s see you do (insert dance/singing) of XX!”

4) CAPITALIZATIONS. Enough said.

Branded most of these come from tweens and hormonal teenagers but still.

You know what else I hate: “OMG, you know that sow is scripted! Why are you mad at Oppa when he was given a script that told to do that. You know he has no choice. Stop saying bad things about him!”
Just another Oppa didn’t meant. People seem to choose when to aknowledge scripts. Their bias does and says something they like on a variety show….someone points out that that show is scripted. an gets defensive: Yeah there is a script, but that’s doesn’t mean they dpn’t have some freedom to do something they want! They are not slaves! That show is not that scripted. But ..their Oppa calls someone fat and people get mad: OMG! that show is scripted! stop attacking oppa! So ridiculous.

Kurii Awashii

I laughed so hard at item #2! Netizens vs netizens… the battle of the keyboard warriors. LOL. Also item #1, about the prize you do not get for refreshing your youtube page a billion times… not only that, doing these doesn’t exactly make your idol more popular. As an international fan… I find it hard to understand how the popularity thing works domestically for Koreans… so I should just keep my opinions to myself… since the idols aren’t really going to read your comments right?

xNoirX

I don’t know if idols read it, but management companies do hire people to monitor “the net”. JYP has four people whose sole job is that.

JammySmoochie

Really? Woah, JYP is really something.

idontknoe

Can I take one of their jobs cus I’m pretty sure they’re failing when it comes to everyone’s opinion about WG US venture.

theonetwo

you dont want it. 4 people vs the majority of kpop fans (including WG fans) isnt very good odds.

Sharlene Shartpants

Item #1 is the most irritating out of all these.

I also hate it when certain websites make articles like “This group reached 15M views” blah blah. It’s not like 15M people actually viewed it.

whirlypop

from what i heard also, these crazy fans use a hack or a software that cheats the number of views. that’s why at one point, youtube had a problem with these kpop videos.

Really? they have that? some press the F5 button as many times as they can.. wasting bandwidth, electricity and time.

whirlypop

I guess so. According to the article I read, the Korean fans cheat the view counts by using a particular software that can increase view counts tremendously. Youtube was going to investigate it (can’t remember well) but basically, it became an issue for a short while.

edenhyper

I disagree about the YouTube count thing. It is indeed pretty important as a means of reflecting popularity. I don’t agree with fans who keep refreshing the page and re watching videos over and over again – just so their band can make the one million mark. However, I believe for k-pop artists it is a big achievement for them. So no, I think I understand WHY fans will want to get that mark. And remember a lot of the time if these bands make a certain target they get something. Like…I think it was Infinite who were given a new place to live because their album sold well or something. I think in Korea the fans are much more aware of what their ‘oppas’ will get if they do well.

I also don’t think you can judge the way someone writes their comments. Yes, inane proclamation of loving a certain artist every second comment, is annoying for the more mature and sane of us. However, at the end of the day who really cares is user: jy7896_09 loves Mir oppa? I surely don’t. Though sometimes some comments are good, you may be thinking of a question and chances are someone else was and posted a commented and then someone else provided an answer. That is probably what I like about reading YouTube comments.

One thing I do agree is sticking up for idols just because. That angers me.

I actually think you should do a post on fansites. They’re even more amazing, lol.

Hah. Well fansites are the center of pandering to their favourite bands. You’ll see YouTube like comments on them too. They all tend to function the same way. It may just be me, but I find the way Korean fansites run to be so different from for example a fansite dedicated to Taylor Swift.

illerz

Its annoying. And when you want to read about the reactions of people who read or watched something regarding the article and you see these. Like the <3 <3 <3 ones I can't read the other comments. And have to spend time shifting through these spammings.

I find them annoying and think they are an embarrassment and put fans to shame at times. But :P I can't stop it.

The comment I hate the most is when people say “If you were a true VIP, SONE,SHAWOL etc, then you wouldn’t say criticize them in this way!” OR “Real VIP’s SONE’s, Shawol’s etc, wouldn’t do/say this about oppa/unnie”. Like they can really tell someone they aren’t a fan of something just because they don’t like what they are saying. Uh…everytime I see comments like this I want to give the person a big STFU!

All the Manber comments annoying me. We get it, Amber has an extremely masculine appearance all the more exaggerated by her style of dress and the way she carries herself. I am sure she reads the comments and I don’t get how these “fans” of hers can say such things and not think its hurtful and that she would actually like these types of comments. And in the reverse, the comments that say “Amber wear a dress you would look so good!”. Obviously she is comfortable being a tomboy, appreciate her as is.

Also the comments that “such-and-such has gained weight, she needs to lose it quick!” when such-an-such is someone who was clearly underweight and actually now looks healthy. Good example: Jessica and the recent plastic surgery rumours were SM had to come out and say she gained weight back because she was underweight. People were saying her face was fuller or fatter and she looks horrible. Um no, she went from Gaunt face to healthy face, she actually looked better. But because it was different people weren’t happy. How can you not be happy and someone who was clearly starving herself for her Kdrama and photoshoots finally getting some nourishment?

Gil_SB

Videos of cats and kids on laughing gas still have higher view counts than K-pop videos

Xaestra

These comments are an insult to my intelligence. But then again, only in kpop. *shrugs*

Which brings me to my next point, thank god for Seoulbeats (except for that time when we had the polls… that was horrendous.)

hottiewookie

I just got here to read some comments and I agree of what you said =) hehehe
Yep, sometimes YouTube comments are annoying.

Averi Baker

I don’t mind #1. I think views show popularity, so why not get them up.
#3 has to be the most annoying one. If someone did or said something wrong then its wrong, it doesn’t matter who the person is.

FlipMango

This article is amazing. So accurate. I want to share this on youtube so that people realize stupid they’re being…

I hate when they use ‘Oppa’: “You don’t know my oppa. Oppa is the kindest person ever” *roll eyes* have your ever met ‘oppa’ then how the f*ck do you know how he behaves.
I remember I saw a comment where the commenter said: “Unnie never had sex before.” =_= Like seriously, how do you know what she has or hasn’t done. smh

The only thing I disagree with here is the ‘I’m a fan and even I…’.
I know I use this sometimes to save myself from getting my ass kicked by a hoard of angry fangirls. It’s self preservation. Say you’re a part of the fandom and the teenage girls normally think a moment or two before ripping my comment and self-esteem to shreds.

Yes but you shouldn’t be afraid to voice your opinion in the first place. Being a fan of someone doesn’t mean that you have to love everything from that idol. If some childish fangirls can’t get this and attack you, then it’s their own problem, not yours. Besides it’s only the internet, we all get attacked for no reasons sometimes, so even if someone attacks you, just give a calm reply, or ignore it :) but just feel free to give your own opinion even about your fav group, without adding “I’m a fan but…” in the beginning of every sentence XD because well, that’s really annoying and it doesn’t make much sense to say it all the time, as if it’s a crime to give criticism… when in fact, it’s a good thing…

The only think that annoys me is when u give ur opinion and another person is like, hater! U just hate “insert band name.” That gets me irritated. Im fine with everything else.

The first one, super Junior got an award for the number of views they got on Mr. Simple’s video. They win awards left and right, and thats bc of fans. I watch mr simple once a week, and when all fans do that, views add up. Plus if they get 1 million views in 24 hours and increase it as soon as it comes out, it gets on the front page. Though, I wont waste my time replaying it over again and spending half a day voting. Only serious voting I did was Big Bangs’s MTV EMA’s. Even then I kina cheated so I could vote 100 times in 1 minute…. What! They were up against britney!

Three I dont mind if the fan is not completely delusional.

Five I dont mind. Unless there are 10-50 of these.

Zoey Orlando

I find all of this funny but I’m not afraid to admit that I do watch MVs more than one time to increase views and that I do vote like crazy for my bias and that I spam pages with comments like <3 TOP <3 TOP <3 TOP <3 TOP <3 TOP <3 TOPbut I don't do number 3 and 4 although I do say that Kpop idols are human and do make mistakes like us, cuz some Kpop fans seem to think that our idols are perfect and angels and some hate their guts over a comment they made when they don't even know them personally. just my opinion.

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black_rose45000

I always wonder what was it with the spam-comments from point 5. Was wondering if it was a Kpop thing O.o lol. Felt incredibly retarded, sorry to say.
What I found most annoying where the idiotic OTP delusional comments, especially the “X disliked this” whenever the video had someone interfering with the TRUE LOVE~ of their OTP.
….the sheet is all that, people.

Spam is the worst, it’s just plain annoying regardless of circumstances.

I’m guilty of number 2, although not in it’s literal sense…It’s more like always adding the extra text ( the people who said this and that; the netizens in question ) is troublesome. Being a netizen equals the social status of an otaku – I admit being both yet when it comes to really ignorant or bizarre things I want to draw a line and make sure people don’t associate me with the creepy part of the fandom.

4, as you described too, is more a shield to keep the hardcore fans tamed. The rare times I raise(d) an opinion on Youtube has made me realize unless I specifically state being or not being something, people assume I’m a hater – I could ignore these people but since my YT account is not a secret and I often connect it to SNS sites, I’m just a bit sensitive as to what gets connected to my username.

The 1st one, I never really understood. Moreover, the extended version involves a sort of battling of fandoms – I even saw comments stating “This is such a good song, let’s make it surpass their XXX single’s views!”

I could maybe add one certain type of comment:
6. “He/she used to be so XXX”
Some fans actually fell annoyed/angry/sad because their bias grows as an individual and as an entertainer. Recently I noticed such comments on XIA’s Tarantallegra…Before that a lot of people expressed their dissatisfaction with Sunny’s short and blonde hair – an actual line “it does not add to her aegyo image”. I remember this one clearly because it painted wtf all over my face…

Hm…Now that I think of it, I can add a 7th too:
“I’m here because of XXX”…
When Simon Curtis expressed he became a fan of Sooyoung and SNSD, almost every YT video featuring his music had at least one comment stating he/she’s here because Simon likes Sooyoung.
It’s natural that we find things through connections yet there are respectful and disrespectful ways of expressing it – making your bias the center of attention even when visiting a different entertainers channel or SNS is quite inappropriate in my eyes…

Haibara Christie

I see number 5 everywhere including SB…..you don’t need to go on youtube.

I´m trapped in the number 4. But that´s because I know fans can be so crazy (and yes it even includes me) just because somebody say something negative about their idols. They´ll start to assume that you´re a hater/troll, which is really annoyong cause you can´t even give critics without being labeled as either of the two categories.